Hamlet, the Video Game Released

posted Apr 16, 2010, 10:06 PM by Lyn Bigelow

Game Industry News

April 12, 2010

Leading casual game publisher Alawar Entertainment and independent developer mif2000 have put a
hilarious twist on a beloved classic in Hamlet, or the last game without MMORPG
features, shaders and product placement, available today. This unique PC game—an
unusual, interactive take on one of Shakespeare’s best-known plays—can be
downloaded from Alawar’s website at http://www.alawar.com. After enjoying a
free one-hour demo, players can register the full version of the game for only
$9.95.

It may be based on a literary classic, but mif2000’s
Hamlet is not your English teacher’s Shakespeare. The game reconstructs the
Bard’s drama by dropping an explorer from the future onto the scene of Prince
Hamlet’s bloody revenge. The player must guide this man on an absurdist mission
to save Hamlet’s beloved Ophelia from the clutches of the evil King Claudius.
The game’s creative storyline and accessible point-and-click gameplay will
appeal to a diverse audience, from casual gamers to old-school adventure game
fans to hardcore Shakespeare buffs.

Mif2000 is an alias for Denis Galanin, a Russian
video game developer who has been involved with a number of commercial games.
For the past several years he has focused on his own indie projects. Hamlet
took him about eight months to create.

“From the first time we heard about its
wonderfully bizarre concept, we were captivated by mif2000’s Hamlet,” says
Kirill Plotnikov, Alawar Entertainment’s Vice President of Publishing. “Alawar
started out as an independent game developer, so we truly understand the unique
needs of indie developers and their projects. We’ve enjoyed collaborating with
mif2000 and hope for many more opportunities to publish creative indie games
like Hamlet in the future.”

Each of Hamlet’s 25 levels boast unique and challenging
logic puzzles, colorful and eye-catching artwork, and abundant humor that puts
a surreal spin on the Shakespearean source material. Drawing from traditional
adventure game conventions, Hamlet is a thinking man’s (and woman’s) game, with
each level ending in a puzzling face-off with characters from the original play—unique
“boss battles” that can only be won by players who rely on their wits, not
their swords.

Hamlet is available in English and Russian
versions. To learn more about the game and download the free demo, please
visit: http://www.alawar.com/game/hamlet/